The most frustrating thing in an athlete’s life has got to be an injury as it pretty much takes all the fun and motivation...

when you sustain an injury your immune system becomes weak since most of the food energy is going to heal and repair the injured area

The most frustrating thing in an athlete’s life has got to be an injury as it pretty much takes all the fun and motivation out of whatever it was that you were doing whether playing a sport or exercising or both and although the path to recovery may have some pain in it you will be able to take advantage of a great and natural healer in food. Next are the top foods to eat in my humble opinion that will help you get better faster and healthier.

Vitamin A is great as its main function in our body is to produce white blood cells which aids in keeping infection away. When you sustain an injury your immune system becomes weak since most of the food energy is going to heal and repair the injured area so proper vitamin A intake is important or otherwise a virus will get you sick and make the experience even worst. So eat foods like spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots and red peppers to get a good amount of natural vitamin A.

Salmon is great because it provides your body lots of protein to help with the repair and growth of the muscular tissues as the omega-3 fatty acids act as anti-inflammatory agents and thus help in keeping inflammation down. If you do not eat salmon try mackerel, flax-seeds or even walnuts as they will also provide the same nutrient quality to your injured area.

Zinc is great also since it is the mineral that helps the protein and fats that you consume heal you during your recovery and without it the rate of recovery would be a lot slower. Shellfish, chicken, nuts, chicken and seeds have loads of great zinc to take advantage of.

It is important that you give your body enough good food and fuel so that it can utilize it to its advantage and get you better sooner so if your don’t skimp on meals and eat your share. Remember that the body needs lots of energy to heal itself and without lots of good fuel the road to recovery will be a lot longer and painful.

Vitamin C is great and is very helpful in repairing collagen and producing new protein for the skin, ligaments, scar tissue, tendons and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also important as it is a powerful anti-oxidant and plays a part in the connective and cartilage tissues. So eat lots of fruits high in vitamin C and aim to keep at five food sources that also contain vitamin C like broccoli, mandarins, oranges, cantaloupes and papaya.

If adhered to these tips can make your next –knock on wood- sports injury a whole lot less painful and faster to recover from.